Published Aug 04, 2026 | 2:02 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 04, 2026 | 2:02 PM
M Karunanidhi, MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Synopsis: Udhayanidhi Stalin has been arrested under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, a law introduced by his grandfather M Karunanidhi, and later strengthened under the government led by his father MK Stalin.
The arrest of Udhayanidhi Stalin in Chennai has inadvertently put three generations of the DMK’s first family under the spotlight.
Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Udhayanidhi was arrested for allegedly passing a disparaging remark against Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and a leading female movie actor.
Ironically, one of the Acts under which he has been arrested was passed when his grandfather and DMK’s late patriarch, M Karunanidhi, was the chief minister.
The irony doesn’t stop there. Udhayanidhi’s father, MK Stalin, amended the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, to add more teeth.
Udhayanidhi made the alleged double-entendre remark linking the incumbent chief minister with the actor at a public meeting in Thanjavur on Monday, 3 August, held to demand Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery waters.
On Tuesday, 4 August morning, the Thanjavur police arrived at Udhayanidhi’s residence in Chennai’s Neelankari, and arrested him with the help of their Chennai counterparts.
The DMK rushed to the High Court of Madras to insulate Udhayanidhi from the Section 4 of the same Act his grandfather had enacted, and powered by his father Stalin. However, the police went ahead with the arrest and whisked him away to Thanjavur.
Besides Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, the police have invoked other sections as well.
Thanjavur East Police Station registered the crime (287/2026) under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The FIR invoked BNS Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds such as religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or other grounds and acts prejudicial to harmony); 192 (unlawful assembly with the object of committing rioting); 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace); 79 (words, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman); 296(b) (singing, reciting or uttering obscene songs or words in a public place); 61 (criminal conspiracy involving two or more persons to commit an offence); and 351(2) (criminal intimidation involving threats of death or grievous hurt).
Additionally, Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, has been invoked for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form, including through the internet, mobile phones or other electronic means.
The case was registered based on a complaint by Bhairavi, a leader of the ruling TVK’s women’s wing.
Also Read: Thanjavur police detain Udhayanidhi Stalin
The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, traces its origins to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Eve-Teasing Act, 1998, enacted during the DMK government headed by M Karunanidhi.
The legislation was introduced in the aftermath of the death of a Chennai college student, Sarika Shah, in 1998, an incident that triggered widespread public outrage over eve-teasing and harassment of women.
A second-year BBM student of Ethiraj College in Chennai, Sarika, had accompanied her three friends for a cold drink outside the campus on 18 July 1998. A gang sprinkled water on her, and one of the men fell on her. Sarika suffered head injuries and was in a coma for five days. She died on 24 July 1998, her 20th birthday.
The Prohibition of Eve-Teasing Act came into force in July 1998. It was subsequently renamed the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, expanding its scope beyond eve-teasing to cover broader forms of harassment against women.
During the previous DMK government led by MK Stalin, the Tamil Nadu Assembly amended the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998 to enhance the punishment for offences under Section 4.
The amendment came into force on 25 January 2025.
Under the amended Section 4, a person convicted for the first time of harassing a woman is punishable with imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of not less than ₹1 lakh.
For a second or subsequent conviction, the punishment is imprisonment of not less than five years, which may extend to 10 years, along with a fine of not less than ₹10 lakh.
The same section has now been invoked against Udhayanidhi.
After picking up Udhayanidhi from his residence, the police took him to Thanjavur, some 320 km from Chennai, by road. He will be produced before a magistrate in Thanjavur.
Meanwhile, the detention has triggered widespread protests by the DMK across Tamil Nadu. Senior party leaders, former ministers, sitting MLAs, members of Parliament and thousands of party cadres have gathered in support of Udhayanidhi.
Several party workers are following the police convoy transporting him, while demonstrations have been organised in several districts across the state.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
